VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
Dustin Joseph Barrett: Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Erin Latosha Harvell: Assisting a criminal (Level 6 Felony), Driving while suspended (Class A misdemeanor), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)
Daniel Gene Procacina: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Antonio Dashawn Tolbert Jr: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Daniel J. Taufagu: Domestic battery resulting in bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony)
Braden Dale Scott: Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 5 Felony), Dealing in marijuana (Level 6 Felony), Conspiracy Dealing in marijuana (Level 6 Felony)
Jesse Martin Williams: Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Invasion of privacy (Class A misdemeanor)
Welding students making bike rack for Veterans Center
TODAY (12/11/18); finishing touches beginning at 9 a.m  Welding Lab
Ivy Tech Community College 3501 N. First Avenue. (Come to Room 140, first)
Background: Ivy Tech’s Welding Department is known for doing service projects and thinking outside the box on projects where students can use the skills they are learning, but help others in the process. One very notable example was when our Robotics and Welding Departments banded together to help a student who is wheel chair bound, to be able to stand so that he can work on cars (his major was Automotive Technology). They took an electric wheelchair, and revamped it to rise to a standing position.
Now there is another unique collaboration. An Ivy Tech student in the Human Services program does her clinical work at the U.S. Veterans Center. She heard a discussion recently that many veterans do not have transportation to get to their jobs or to the VA Hospital or Veterans Center, and associated locations. Knowing that Evansville has so many newly created bike lanes, and walking/biking trails, she thought perhaps Ivy Tech’s welding students could build a bike rack for the Veterans Center, and possibly another organization would donate some bikes; or vets who had bikes would have a place to safely keep them while at the location. Officials agreed this would be a great idea.
She approached Welding Program Chair John Durbin with the idea, and he agreed the students could do it. Today, the students are putting the finishing touches on the rack during finals week, and it will be presented to the Veterans Center.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Prepares to Shop Tomorrow
On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, members of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will participate in their annual “Christmas with Kidsâ€Â shopping event. This year’s event will take place from 10:00 -11:30 a.m. at the Meijer store located at 2622 Menards Drive in Evansville. Every Christmas season since 2001 the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has enjoyed providing this service to children of the Tri-State area. This year Sheriff’s deputies, confinement officers and administrative staff will again team up with the ARK Crisis Child Care Center for this special event.
During the shopping event, members and friends of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will help the children pick out needed clothing items, as well as toys from their wish list. After shopping, the kids and center volunteers will be treated to lunch courtesy of the Meijer deli department. The ARK Crisis Child Care Center is located at 415 Lincoln Avenue in Evansville and provides care to approximately 200-250 children per month. The majority of the children served are referrals from social service agencies, medical personnel, legal aid services and the court system. ARK provides emergency crisis care to children six weeks old through six years of age for families experiencing temporary life altering challenges. This program is funded by the generous giving from the Meijer Corporation, the Art and Science of Hair Salon, and private donations from the community through the Wallis Christmas Foundation. For more information about the “Christmas with Kids†program and the Wallis Christmas Foundation, contact Lt. Mark Rasure at (812) 421-6245 or Sgt. Kerri Blessinger at (812) 421-6249.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
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Evansville, IN – Below are the felony cases to be filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Keith Michael Alstadt: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)
Lance Andrew Luke: Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life (Level 5 Felony), Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor)
Mateo Velazquez: Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Attempt Battery by means of a deadly weapon (Level 5 Felony), Possession of marijuana (Class B misdemeanor)
Derek Shaun Clark: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), False informing (Class B misdemeanor)
David Layne Greenwood: Battery on a person less than 14 years old (Level 6 Felony), Strangulation (Level 6 Felony)
Reed D. Greenwood: Battery on a person less than 14 years old (Level 6 Felony), Strangulation (Level 6 Felony)
Ashley L. Ellis: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Arve H. York: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony)
David G. Wargel: Possession of cocaine (Level 6 Felony), Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class C misdemeanor)
Amanda L. Reese: Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony)
Deonte Howard: Intimidation (Level 5 Felony), Carrying a handgun without a license (Level 5 Felony), Criminal recklessness (Level 5 Felony), Domestic battery (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer (Class A misdemeanor)
Troy Anthony Klosterman: Unlawful possession or use of a legend drug (Level 6 Felony), Unlawful possession of syringe (Level 6 Felony), Criminal trespass (Class A misdemeanor)
Dearion Kevonte Cabell: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 4 Felony), Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Class A misdemeanor)
Nichole Delane Renshaw: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Level 6 Felony), Driving while suspended (Class A misdemeanor), Reckless driving (Class C misdemeanor)
Antonio Jamaze Harrell: Theft (Level 6 Felony)
Chandler O’brian Moseley: Auto theft (Level 6 Felony), Theft (Level 6 Felony), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor), Resisting law enforcement (Class A misdemeanor)
Amy Rose Moore: Possession of methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony), Failure to appear (Level 6 Felony)
Dylan Sean Woodruff: Possession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance (Level 6 Felony), Possession of paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor)
Winders Posts Provisional Mark In 5,000 Meters
Fresh off earning All-America honors on the cross country course, University of Southern Indiana freshman Titus Winders(Mansfield, Tennessee) got an early jump on the 2018-19 indoor track & field season in an impromptu appearance at the Indiana University Hoosier Open this past Friday night in Bloomington, Indiana.
Winders competed in the 5,000 meters, where he finished fifth out of eight runners with a strong NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 14 minutes, 6.83 seconds. His time was less than two seconds off the automatic qualifying standard of 14:05.18 and currently ranks fourth in the nation.
Just a week ago, Winders posted a 30th-place finish at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships, a placement that earned him All-America honors in his first year of collegiate competition. He was the NCAA II Midwest Region Runner of the Year after winning regionals and was the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year after finishing second to teammate and defending GLVC champion Austin Nolan at the league meet.
USI, which began the indoor track & field season December 1 at the Vanderbilt Opener, resumes action January 11-12 at the Jim Green Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
Convicted forger, ID thief loses appeal of suit against victims
Katie Stancombe for www.theidianalawyer.com
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to several relatives and the landlord of man convicted of stealing and frequently using his parents’ financial accounts and personal items to fund his gambling. The COA found the relatives were entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
After obtaining access to his parents’ personal financial records, Chris Harkins subsequently forged and cashed checks on his parents’ accounts, fraudulently added himself as an authorized user on their existing credit accounts, rerouted their credit card statements to his apartment and made more than $37,000 in unauthorized charges on their credit cards. Harkins also stole and pawned multiples pieces of his parents’ jewelry and sold items he fraudulently purchased to get gambling money.
Harkins was convicted of five counts of Class C felony forgery; two counts of Class D felony identity deception; two counts of Class D felony credit card fraud; Class A misdemeanor deception and of being a habitual offender. He was sentenced to 22 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.
In October 2015, Harkins filed a pro se damages suit against his sister, landlord, cousin and aunt, who entered his apartment with his ex-wife’s permission and key to reclaim personal items Harkins allegedly had stolen from his parents.
Among other things, Harkins contended that his sister, Shannon Westmeyer, enlisted the assistance of his landlord, Jon Niklas, to enter Harkins’ apartment, and then recruited cousin Angie Harkins and aunt Janet Harkins in the removal and transport of his personal property. Harkins also contended that his relatives “maliciously and intentionally deprived†him of his property without communicating the disposition of the items.
Westmeyer, Niklas, Angie and Janet all separately filed motions and were granted summary judgment against Harkins. On appeal, Harkins argued that the trial court erred in granting them summary judgment.
The appellate court found that no genuine issues of material fact existed as to Harkins’ claims of conversion and infliction of emotional distress against Westmeyer, Angie and Janet. It also found that there were no genuine issues of material fact regarding Harkins’ claims that Niklas acted with deliberate indifference and culpable negligence in facilitating the entry of Westmeyer, Angie and Janet into Harkin’s apartment.
“We conclude that the trial court did not err in finding that Westmeyer, Angie, Janet, and Niklas were entitled to judgment as a matter of law and in granting summary judgment in their favor,†Judge Elizabeth Tavitas wrote for the court in Chris E. Harkins v. Shannon Westmeyer, Jon Niklas, Angie Harkins, and Janet Harkins, 15A01-1703-CT-530.
Harkins additionally argued that the trial court erred in failing to apply the prison mailbox rule and by striking his response materials as untimely filed. But the appellate court found that that the automatic three-day extension pursuant to Rule 6(E) did not apply to extend his deadline from September 1, 2016, to Sept. 6, 2016, in response to Westmeyer’s motion for summary judgment.
IS IT TRUE DECEMBER 11, 2018
We hope that today’s “READERS FORUM†will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
IS IT TRUE that the customers of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility are about to realize the cost of a half century of neglect as the build out of projects to bring the City of Evansville into compliance with the EPA mandate to cease the practice of dumping raw sewage into the Ohio River are resulting in price increases to cover the debt used to improve the sewers?…over the course of the next two or three years the average water bill for modest usage of 5,000 gallons per month will be increasing by a whopping 37% to $44.53 per month?…that during the same time period the sewer bill will be increasing by a budget busting 21% to an average of $70.07 per month?…this means that in a matter of between 13 and 25 months the average customer of the negligent Evansville Water and Sewer Utility will be shelling out $114.60 per month for these basic services?…the required projects are really just getting started and annual increases in the double digits are expected to continue over the next 20 years as the half decade of negligence is methodically corrected?
IS IT TRUE are told that prospective residents, current customers, and prospective businesses will need to think twice about whether or not Evansville can still be a place they can afford to be?…with the anticipated increases we can expect an average sewer and water bill to increase to $230 per month by 2027, $460 per month by 2034, and $920 per month as we cross the 2040 threshold?…that for $920 one can make a house payment on a $200,000 mortgage?…that as the water and sewer bills continue to escalate Evansville remains in the grip of a legislated monopoly that the IURC (Indiana Utilitites Regulatory Commission) has authorized to charge us the highest electricity rates in Indiana by a massive amount and the highest electricity to average per capita income ratio in the United States?…the day is coming in River City where the water, sewer, electricity, and gas bills combined will exceed the principle, interest, and insurance charge for a middle class mortgage?…from a cash flow perspective these excessive utility prices will most likely devalue real estate by many thousands of dollars per meter?
IS IT TRUE that it has been reported that the deal for Vectren to be bought out will result in substantially all of the executive management team heading to the unemployment line?…it pays well to be a high-level employee at Vectren as the first round of casualties will be heading to the unemployment line with a golden handshake that equals TWO YEARS OF SALARY?…in the most extreme case this may amount to over $6 Million for one person and well into 6 figures for several others?…some well-known locals will keep their jobs in SW Indiana in roles that range from Senior VP to market President?…all of these massive severance payments which will amount to tens of millions of dollars essentially are coming out of the pockets of the already overburdened ratepayers of SW Indiana?…blue collar Evansville is most certainly paying the bills of the coastal enclaves of elitism?
IS IT TRUE we encourage you to take a drive down to the Weast Franklin Street area and then go to the recently renovated $18 million dollars North Main Street corridor and you shall see what business owners can do to promote their areas? …that the West Franklin Street shopping area business owners have done a good job in creating a “Norman Rockwell” Christmas atmosphere without any public subsidies? …when you go to the public subsidized North Main Street corridor you will discover that there no Christmas atmosphere from the Lloyd Expressway to the entrance of Garvin Park? …ever since “JACOBSVILLE JOIN-IN” group abruptly shut down without informing members of the City Council, Jacobsville Neighborhood Association or citizens of Jacobsville the marketing efforts of that area are in a dormant stage?
IS IT TRUE we hope that the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor, Nick Hermann will bid out the lucrative “Drug Tracking Testing” contract starting in 2019?
IS IT TRUE for many years we haven’t received the agendas and/or the official minutes of the meetings of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC)? ….that the City-County Observer plans to file a formal complaint with the Indiana Public Access Officer against the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) for not sending us their agendas and/or official minutes of the meetings of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) for several years? …it’s time that our readers know what’s what kind of decisions are being made by members of the school board?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: How do you rank the Evansville City Councils job performance in 2018?
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